Friday, March 14, 2014

Author F.T. Bradley

Every Friday, a children's literature advocate visits Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. Sweet, right? This week's special guest is author F.T. Bradley. We chatted about her characters, Roald Dahl, school libraries, and reading. I wrote the words in red, and F.T. wrote the words in black. Thank you! :)

Linc Baker is so real to me! I know, I know, he’s a fictional character, but it’s like he’s telling the story of how he (a regular kid) got to be a junior secret agent, and I just get to write it down. He’s a blast to write, even if he gets into trouble. A lot…

I think thrillers and mysteries are the best. I love to read them, and I love to write them, too. There’s nothing like a difficult puzzle and a chase after some bad guys to keep the pages turning. I love a dash of history in my mysteries and thrillers too, just to add some flavor. It’s why writing the Double Vision series is so great: it’s a mystery/thriller, there’s some history, travel, and spy stuff too. Spies are cool. They get gadgets.

Roald Dahl’s books made me fall in love with reading. I would stay up late, reading way past my bedtime, imagining I had my very own Big Friendly Giant. Anything seems possible in Dahl’s books. It’s so inspiring, as a reader and a writer.

School libraries are my favorite place to be! Every time I go for an author visit, I discover new books at school libraries. The kids, teachers and librarians are great at giving me recommendations, so my nightstand always has a healthy stack of books waiting for me. School libraries are like the soul of the school. They’ll tell you everything about the place.

Reading is so awesome. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but I wrote the Double Vision series with kids who might not love to read in mind. I try to share my enthusiasm for reading, and hope it’s contagious. A good book is better than any movie, videogame, or TV show. With a good book, you just have to give your imagination a few pages, and it’ll take off running the rest of the way.

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me what my favorite snack is! That’s important information, especially when you’re going on a spy mission. I like peanut M&Ms, chocolate donuts, and oranges. If I’m in Paris, I prefer pastries though…

F. T. Bradley is originally from the Netherlands and still likes to travel, like Linc, whenever she gets a chance. Her husband's Air Force career has F. T. and their two daughters moving all around the world, but for the moment the family lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

About Mr. Schu

I am a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University and the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic. I work diligently to put the right book in every child's hand. Book trailers are one way to connect readers with books. (All opinions shared are on own.)